The present invention relates to data processing by digital computer, and more particularly to testing computer programs.
Applications are used by computer systems, for example, to process (e.g., sort, filter, store) data. To ensure proper processing of the data, the applications are generally tested. In one approach to testing, known inputs are supplied to the application during execution to establish what the predicted proper outputs would be. Using these predicted outputs, another instance of the application running on a possibly different platform and running at any location may be tested by applying the same inputs to the other application and comparing the processed outputs to the predicted outputs. The testing is done by a process that contains testing instructions that deliver a large number of tests to the application and process the results to determine whether features of the application are working properly.
When features of an application are changed or enhanced to produce an updated application or a newer application version, the testing process must be updated, too. In addition, because older versions of the application may continue to be used, the original test process must be maintained and used even though a new test process has been generated.